DC Prime: Static Shock
by Prime Fiction
Summary: Part of the DC Prime Universe: The high volt hero Static leads his own team of meta-human crime fighters. Secrets are uncovered as he learns there's more going on in the city of Dakota than even he knows.
1. Chapter 1

**Static Shock ****Issue 1: Welcome To Dakota**

**By 2ndBlackJedi**

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><p>A giant fist slams through a building, sending rubble to the streets below. A young man on a hovering metal disc ducks under it. He wears black pants, a blue jacket and a black shirt with a yellow lightning bolt through a yellow circle.<p>

"Watch out!" He yells.

_I know this looks bad. It really isn't._

The young man was followed by another who wore a green and white outfit with a helmet and various tech added to the suit. On his back was a circular device that clamped to him with four spider-like legs and he flew using rocket-propelled roller blades.

"Y'know, I never thought fighting a giant robot would go quite like this. Or _look_ like this," The second hero called out to his friend.

_Sure, it's different. But different is what we do._

Down below was a girl in a red outfit with a purple mask and cape that looked about the same age as the two boys. She was accompanied by a guy who looked a few years older and wore a tight, dark purple jump suit. The man's body stretched in proportions like rubber, forming a trampoline that caused the rubble to bounce away from a few civilians running away.

"I thought this area was evacuated already!" The stretchy guy said.

"Must've been some stragglers," the girl said as she acrobatically flipped around the debris.

_I guess some introductions are in order, huh?_

_I'm the guy with the dreads and the blue jacket. The one-and-only, supercharged, high voltage hero: Static! The one in the air with me is my best pal, Gear. The other two are Rubberband Man and She-bang. They're my team and right now we're...hold that thought._

Static ducks under a swipe from the large mechanical creature just before a large rope wraps itself around him. He turns to see the giant, silver coloured robot that had the appearance of a certain Justice League member, Wonder Woman.

_Weird, right? According to Gear's analysis, we've got two bad guys to thank for this. The first is Doctor Odium. He built a robot made of nanotech that nearly destroyed the whole West Coast. The second is Professor Menace. What he lacked in the Cool Name department, he made up for in robotics. Back before I was even born, he made a robot clone of Wonder Woman to challenge the original. Some genius thought it was a great idea to mix the two technologies in one big blender of villainy. The result? A huge, self repairing, super strong Wonder Woman robot with a lasso on a rampage._

_Like I said, it looks bad. But really, it isn't._

"I got your back, bro!" Gear yelled as he threw a small grenade. It hit the robot's wrist, blasting a hole in it. The rope around Static loosened as the damage was repaired. The silver material glowed blue as the broken portion reattached. Static looked down to see She-bang and Rubberband Man in the WonderMech's path.

"Look out for its' boots!" He yelled.

"Did he say 'boots' or-" She-bang didn't get to finish her question before a massive boot slammed down in front of her. She backflipped away from the crumbling concrete. "Yep. Boots,"

"Gear! Does Backpack have anything else on this thing?" Static said as he tried shooting electricity at the robot, which simply repaired itself after each hit.

"Needs another few seconds!" Gear replied as a scanner whirred from the device on his back.

"Gotcha. Rubberband man, block the road while She-bang and I distract the WonderMech!" Static gave out orders to his teammates.

"Really? That's what we're calling it?" Rubberband Man's body started stretching, making him flatter as he took up the space between two buildings on opposite sides of the street where the battle was taking place. The WonderMech tried punching him and the blows were absorbed into his malleable form, though not painlessly. "Agh! Hurry up on that distraction, guys!"

She-bang ran a full floor up the side of a building then jumped to the WonderMech. She climbed up and the robot tried to swat at her. Static took that opportunity to weave around the silver titan's head.

"Backpack's got something!" Gear exclaimed as the scanner chirped. "The nanites are holding themselves together with an electromagnetic charge. If we disrupt it, the whole construct will collapse!"

"One electromagnetic disruption, coming up! Get back!" Static rushed in as Gear glided down to carry She-Bang away. Static charged up a ball of electricity in his hands and launched it at the WonderMech. Instantly, the robot was surrounded by an energy field that broke apart each individual nanobot from the whole. The WonderMech made a groaning sound as it collapsed into a fine silver dust.

_See? Nothing to it. Not when you've got the best team in the world. Just don't tell the Justice League I said that. I'm still hoping they ask me to join._

Rubberband Man shrank back to his human shape as Gear landed with She-bang next to him. Static flew down and leaned out on his disc to high five Gear.

"One giant robot, taken down. Courtesy of us! Good job, gang," Static said with a grin.

"The police can clean this mess up, and maybe tell us where this thing came from. I gotta head off, I have a meeting with my agent in a half hour," Rubberband Man said, referring to the music career of his alter-ego, Adam Evans. "And I know you three have somewhere to be,"

Gear and Static winced as She-bang muttered "We're late for class again, aren't we?"

_Okay, this._

_This might actually be bad._

Three teens ran along the empty schoolyard of Dakota Union High School. The one in the middle, Virgil Hawkins, looks up at the clock on the front of the building.

"We are so gonna be late!" Virgil said.

"Maybe you two are, but one of us has a perfect attendance record to keep up," the girl on his left, Shenice Vale said as she put on a superhuman burst of speed, pulling way ahead of the other two.

"How did she manage a perfect attendance record?" the third teen, Richie Foley asked between panting breaths.

"Don't forget how much of a _perfectionist_ she is," Virgil answered. "Come on, maybe if hurry, it won't be so bad. We've already got detention for most of the week."

"Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and Mr. McGill will have already bored himself to sleep by the time we get there!"

The two friends laughed at Richie's joke as they entered the school.

_So yeah. Welcome to my life. Balancing superheroing with superstudenting. The scheduling can be a pain and the job is tough more often that I want to admit, but you know what?_

_I wouldn't want it any other way._

_Unfortunately, actions have consequences. And the consequence of being late again is..._

Virgil just stared at the clock on the wall as he waited for detention to end. A few seats ahead of him, Richie looked out the window, watching the track and field teams practice. Shenice was out there practicing with the girls' team, but Richie's attention wasn't on them. Virgil could guess what was on his friend's mind, but there was no talking in the detention room, as Mr. McGill was quick to point out on multiple occasions.

With a sigh, Virgil stared down at his desk. He started sifting through the stray radio waves in the area. Easy enough to do with his powers and it wouldn't catch any unwanted attention. He eventually located the police frequency and listened in. knowing his friend was likely doing the same with a small radio device in the earring he wore. There was mention that the clean-up from this morning had just finished and Chief Barnsdale himself was on the scene. Virgil wished he could've helped, but he had somewhere to be. Now all he had to do was wait out the clock.

_Chief Barnsdale is the, well the chief. Specifically of the Dakota Police Department. He didn't like me much at first but my magnetic personality wore him down. He lets me and my friends take on the bigger metahuman stuff around town and we even get to help out at a few crime scenes. It's supposed to be all hush-hush but the rest of the police don't seem to mind. Richie gave him a little thing he called the Static Signal. Not as fancy as the signal in Gotham, but it can send out an electromagnetic pulse that I or Backpack can pick up._

_I'd still like a spotlight though. Just saying._

After detention, and homework, and nearly getting grounded Static and Gear land on the roof of the Dakota PD building. Chief Barnsdale waits for them, holding the remote for the Static Signal in his hand.

"You two are late," Barnsdale said.

"Sorry, Chief. You know how bad traffic in this town is," Static replied, trying to get a smile out of the chief. It didn't happen.

"Any leads on that giant robot we fought today?" Gear asked. "Do we know who built it?"

"Well, we know it involves work from past so-called genius supervillains. We can't confirm who built it, but we do know where its' rampage started," Chief Barnsdale stated. "The tracks lead back to a laboratory owned by Alva Industries. Now I know how you boys feel about Edwin Alva but according to their records, that lab was being used for crop research. They say the robot attacked them then stormed off,"

"You can't believe a word they say," Static said with obvious agitation. "I've already told you about the things I've heard and seen about him..."

"Things that you still have no solid evidence for." Chief Barnsdale retorted. "Regardless, I have to investigate based on facts. Not feelings,"

"Yeah, we know...Well, thanks anyway. We'll let you know if we find anything on our end," Static replies back, with a less happy tone. He flies off with Gear behind him.

"Y'know, bro," Gear said, once they were too far for Barnsdale to hear. "There's no reason why _we_ can't go talk to Alva ourselves,"

"There's probably a few, but I seem to have forgotten them all," Static grins as he changes course, heading towards the tallest tower in the city. The headquarters of Alva Indutries.

_A little background on Edwin Alva. He's the richest man in the city, owns a massive company that employs crazy smart people like Curtis Metcalf and he's a total jerk. That might not be the most professional assessment, but there it is. I know he's got his fingers in all kinds of bad guy pies, but he's smart enough to keep any of it from tying back to him. Even the vapour that gave me, and other people, powers at The Big Bang on Paris Island was made in his labs. Alva got off scott-free and the city was full of metahumans that people started calling Bang Babies. I remember the Big Bang like it was yesterday. How could I ever forget..._

_I'm getting sidetracked. Gotta focus on Alva. He's cunning, ruthless and knows just how much power he has. Can't be off my game now._

Edwin Alva, wearing an expensive suit and slicked back grey hair, walks briskly through the halls of his building. Anyone with any sense could tell he was in a bad mood. His hands were clenched tightly and his brow was more furrowed than usual. The incident today had been costly. Not only did he lose the tech that built the robot, the real lab had to be shut down and moved for a cover-up.

Bribes were paid and evidence was planted. The entire operation set him back quite a bit and he could only hope that the data they had recovered would be sufficient for future use. He would find and punish whoever was responsible for this. That was certain. Alva thrust open the doors to his office and closed them behind him. He was expecting a quiet night in the office. He was _not_ expecting to see two teenage superheroes waiting for him.

"You do know breaking and entering is illegal? How did you get in here?" Alva asked. His voice was calm but there was anger below the surface.

"A tech genius and a guy who controls electricity? I'm insulted you have to ask," Static replied, keeping his cool.

"Mhm. Can I help you two with something or are you just here to be an irritation?" Alva said as he walked past them to his desk, noticing the open window behind it.

"We know that Wonder Woman robot came from one of your labs," Gear claimed in an accusatory tone.

"What you know is that that monstrosity set back progress on research to increase the health and vitality of food crops cheaply and cleanly. Anything else is speculation," Alva lied without a single change in his expression.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. But we've got our eyes on you..." Static huffed before getting his disc out. He rode off on it through the window and Gear followed behind him. Alva turned in his chair to watch them go and tented his fingers as he did.

"You let him off easy," Gear said to his friend, minutes later.

"Nahh, I let him _think_ I let him off easy," Static said, tapping his head with a finger. "See he thinks we were just making empty threats. Acting bad when we had nothing. Now he'll lower his guard,"

"But we _do_ have nothing!" Gear pointed out.

"Well...details, man. We'll figure something out,"

"Right...maybe this weekend, we can do some digging,"

"Sure. Oh! But I've got a date with Daisy this weekend. I've got your back though. I'll find the time,"

"Aight," Gear said with a nod. "Catch ya in detention tomorrow!"

"Yeah, you know it," Static chuckled as his friend flew off.

_So that was my day. This city throws a lot at me but never anything yours truly can't take. I got my best friend, I got my team and I got the ability to create and control electromagnetic phenomena. Dakota's a big city, but it's my home. I know the ins and outs of it. Even if it looks bad, I know it really isn't. No matter what happens, I know I can handle it._

_Hey...You ever get that feeling you're being watched? Alva musta creeped me out more than I thought._

As Static flew back home, he cast a look over his shoulder. He gave a small shrug, forgetting his paranoid feelings. Meanwhile, there really was someone watching him. A young woman about his age was hidden in shadows on a rooftop and stepped into the light as Static disappeared. She wore a purple outfit with short leggings and light grey armour. Her running shoes were similarly coloured and she had a thin, angular domino mask on her face. On her back, a large grey shield was attached to the armour.

She reached out, wanting to greet her old partner and friend but she had to wait. The hour of Dusk hadn't come yet.

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Static Shock Issue 2 : Hacking in**

**By Calvin Burrell**

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><p><em>Trust is pretty important to me. You've always gotta know who you can rely on. I know I can count on my family. My dad and even my annoying older sister, Sharon. My team, for sure. But if there's one person I know will always have my back a hundred and twenty percent, it's Richie. He's my homeboy, my partner, my best friend. We've had our fights and arguments, yeah. But I could always trust him.<em>

Static flew through the sky over Dakota, leaving a trail of sparks behind him. Below him, he could see construction crews repairing buildings after the rampaging robot attack the other day. He had a meeting with Gear planned but he stopped anyways to lend a hand.

_The construction guys were pretty cool. I even took a few photos and signed some autographs with them. I try to keep the celebrity of the superhero biz from going to my head, but sometimes I just can't say no. I'm sure Gear won't mind. He's probably doing some tinkering in the HQ anyway._

_Oh, right. I haven't told you about our place, have I? There's this abandoned gas station in Dakota. Me and Gear used to use it as a place to get away from bullies and responsibilities back when we were younger. It became our secret base once I got my powers. When Gear went from above average to super genius, he started tricking the place out with all sorts of fun stuff. We even have an automatic soda dispenser! How cool is that? And it looks the same on the outside to discourage any would-be visitors. There's so many toys in there, I'm sure he won't mind being on his own for a bit longer._

Gear, however, was not on his own. He was instead arguing in hushed tones with another person, despite them being the only ones present in the abandoned gas station.

"You can't be here," Gear said, clearly angry. The one he was talking to stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to be the same costumed person who had been watching Static the other night.

"I'm just gonna be a sec," Dusk said, feeling uncomfortable. "I need a favour from you,"

"Oh no. Nuh uh. I'm not doing _anything_ for you," Gear said, shaking his head. "Do you even know what you did to Vi- to Static? He thought you were _dead_. He thought it was his fault. He wouldn't even suit up for almost a year because of you!"

"I...I didn't..."

"You didn't what? You didn't know he cared that much?

"Look, I know what you think of me. I get it alright? Anything you want to say, I've said to myself and worse," Dusk said, clearly stressed. "All I need is this one thing, then I'll tell him what happened. The whole truth."

Gear crossed his arms and glared at her. This person had put his friend through hell and now she was back out of nowhere. He could still remember what Static was like when he thought Dusk died. Sullen and quiet under the crushing weight of survivor's guilt. To find out it was all for nothing made him too angry to even care _why_ she did it.

"You've gotta promise me you'll tell him. Or I'll do it myself. What do you want?" Gear asked.

"I swear I will," Dusk said as she removed her shield from her back to hold it up. The shield was dented and clearly heavily damaged. "I need a replacement for this. I saw the disc you made for Static. I could use something like that,"

Gear could tell the shield was homemade. It looked like it could expand due to being made of multiple interconnected pieces rather than one. He had to admit that it was well made, even if it looked like junk.

"It's called a Static Saucer. And should I even ask how long you've been following us?" Gear said, picking up what Dusk let slip when she said she saw the disc. "But...Yeah. Yeah, I can do that,"

"Great. Cause I..." Dusk leaves the sentence unfinished when she notices something outside. "I gotta go. I owe you one,"

"Mhmm..." Gear mutters as Dusk sneaks out the back. Moments later, Static lands outside the front of the building. The disc he glided in on folded up and he stored it in the inside pocket of his blue jacket before walking in.

"Hey, man," Static said, cheerful as ever. "Woulda been here sooner, but I got held up helping out some construction workers with repairs,"

"Yeah, I know," Gear said, smirking like nothing happened as he sat by his custom built computer. "I've been watching Chirper while the program I made hacks its way into Alva's database,"

"Remind me to get the gang together so we can have an intervention for your social media addiction," Static replied. He opened a large cooler and a robotic arm popped out, handing him and ice cold soda. "You find anything interesting so far?"

"Totally! Scare Tactics is going on an underground music tour and I think Stargirl is...Oh, you meant the program. No, not yet," Gear answered while he minimized his web browser window to show the progress of his hacking program. "Their security is real cutting edge stuff. I assume most of the juicy info is kept offline anyway. But I should be able to learn a bit more about the lab that robot trashed,"

"Cool," Static said as he sat on a chair. He rested the can on a nearby desk so he could take his jacket off and let it hang over the back of the seat. He leaned back and sipped from the can as Gear chuckled every now and then at a funny post. After a few minutes, Gear sat up suddenly with a worried look, causing Static to do the same.

"Oh no! No, no, no, noo!" Gear looked scared and began typing rapidly.

"What's wrong, man? Lose a follower?" Static asked as he got up.

"Worse than that. Someone's hacking into my system! They must have detected the program!"

"Can't you shut them out or something!? There's gotta be a way to block them,"

"Working on it! Except it's...Crap! Whoever is doing this, they're deleting every bit of info we have on Alva! Who the hell are we dealing with here?"

"Think we're about to find out..." Static said as the sound of something landing outside got his attention. A man had just touched down outside, wearing grey and silver plates over a layer of black armour.

The miniaturized jet engines on the man's back smoked as they cooled from their flight and his helmet was ridged with red metal that made it look like a gladiator helmet. He was holding up a display screen built into the armour's wrist, but his eyes were directly on the gas station itself. He spoke into his wrist and his voice came out on Gear's computer.

"Outside. Now."

"Dude..." Gear said in awe. "That's _Hardware_. What's he doing here?"

"Doesn't look good," Static said, putting his jacket back on. "C'mon. And try not to fanboy all over him,"

_Hardware. He's one of the heroes around Dakota. He's got all kinds of equipment in that suit of his. I've seen Gear salivating over it more than once. I've run into him a couple times in the past. Somehow he always manages to blow me off entirely. He's an outstanding hero and all, no doubt about that, but doesn't have much in the people skills department._

_Or maybe he just doesn't like me._

Gear's robot, Backpack, climbed onto his back as the two young heroes went out to meet the tech titan. Hardware's expression was clear contempt and irritation. Static and Gear looked at each other, having the same expression as when they get reprimanded by a teacher.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Hardware asked. The voice modulator in his helmet made his voice low and menacing.

"Uhh...Investigating?" Static said. Gear was still star-struck.

"Let me make this clear for the both of you. Alva is _my_ turf. You're digging into things you aren't going to understand. People you can't handle. Leave it to the professionals,"

"Hey, whatever it is, we can take it," Static said, getting defensive. "You don't know what me and my friends are capable of,"

"A bunch of the local juvenile delinquents. I'm shaking in my jet boots," Hardware said, putting his hands on his hips. "There are people involved here who will wipe you and your clubhouse off the map without a thought. So stop trying to paint a target on your back,"

Hardware didn't even wait for a response. The jetpack on his back activated with a burst and he shot off, leaving a cloud of dust.

_Believe it or not, that went better than most of my conversations with Mr. Attitude-In-A-Can. By that I mean there was actually a conversation this time._

"Dude..." Gear said, still staring at the sky.

"Really, man? You're all giddy after we just got dissed?" Static said incredulously.

"Yeah. Dissed by _Hardware_,"

"Mhmm..." Static rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to zap his friend. "Do we have anything left? Anything on Alva at all?"

"Huh? Oh, lemme check," Gear answered and dashed back inside the abandoned gas station. Static looked up one last time before returning with him. The half empty can of soda left on the desk leapt into Static's hand from a magnetic pull as Gear types away.

"Looks like everything we had is gone or the data is corrupted. All that's left is one bit of a file I just got. The data is too messed up to read but I can make out a word: SYSTEM...What do you think it means, bro?" Gear looked over his shoulder at Static.

"No idea, G," Static admitted. "But I'm gonna find out. How bad could these guys be?"

_Am I being cocky? Maybe a little. But Hardware is totally underestimating us. If whoever or whatever SYSTEM is thinks they're so big and bad, well they ain't met me yet. These guys are in for a shock._

_And hopefully I'll have better lines by then._

Later that evening, Edwin Alva sat in his office, looking over his desk to the imposing figure of Hardware standing before him. Hardware's expression was unreadable and his arms were crossed.

"Mr. Metcalf, I trust you dealt with our security breach?" said Alva, calm as ever.

"It wasn't a problem. Just Static and that scrawny kid he hangs out with. He's smart, but not smart enough," Hardware replied.

"Lucky for them, in this case. If they found anything on our organization, or the malleable SYSTEMatics we were building at the facility, they would have to be...removed,"

"Didn't think you'd lose sleep over it. I know he's caused you trouble in the past,"

"Quite the opposite. He and his friends are welcome to continue shutting down my less than legal operations. That saves me the trouble of having to terminate them myself,"

"Leaving the bigger problem to us. But the kids are tenacious. I tried to change their minds but knowing them, they'll keep digging,"

"Then, for their sakes, let's hope they take your advice," Alva said as he gazed out the window at the city, "Before it's too late..."

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Static Shock Issue 3: Reunion**

**By Calvin Burrell**

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><p><em>Oh my god. I don't think I can take much more of this. Feels like my arms are going to pop out of my shoulders. The strain is too much to bear. If I don't do something about it now I'm gonna-<em>

"What about this one?" said a female voice, snapping Virgil out of his thoughts. He looked at his girlfriend, Daisy Watkins, who was trying on clothes in front of a mirror. When she suggested a date for this weekend, he didn't think it would be shopping. Nor did he think he'd have to carry so many bags of new clothes and shoes.

_I think my fingers are going numb. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to carry Frieda's stuff too. Speaking of Frieda..._

"My fashion sense doesn't go much further than maybe wearing a nice hat sometimes. Why don't you ask Frieda?" Virgil said. Frieda Goren was currently seated nearby in the only available chair, much to Virgil's jealousy. She was also asleep and hadn't heard anything that was said.

"I don't know what it is, but she's been really tired a lot lately. That's why I wanted you to come with us," Daisy said with a frown.

"So she wouldn't ruin your shopping day by catching some Zs?" Virgil asked.

"No, so you could talk to her. She's my best friend but you've known her for way longer," Daisy answered as she nudged Frieda awake. Frieda bolted up suddenly as if she didn't know where she was but quickly returned to reality when she saw Daisy's clothes.

"Hey, that looks great on you. You should get it," Frieda said while yawning. Virgil shook his head emphatically at the idea of adding more bags to his load.

"No, I just wanted to try it on. I think I'm done shopping for the day," Daisy said with a smirk at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, looks like you got a lot of that done," Frieda said, pointing to the bags in Virgil's hands.

"Actually...most of these are yours..." Virgil pointed out. Frieda looked confused as if she didn't even remember buying all those things.

"I'm...gonna get changed," Daisy said, giving Virgil a look that he understood to mean 'say something to her now'. As Daisy went in the changing room, Frieda stood up and stretched. Virgil took that opportunity to take her seat and set the bags down, sighing loudly.

"Sorry about all the bags," Frieda yawned apologetically. "I'm probably gonna end up returning half that stuff,"

"Seriously, Frieda. Are you okay?" Virgil asked, with clear concern.

"Yeah...no...I dunno. I'm just really tired lately. And lately I've been feeling like...Like I'm living in some weird out-of-body experience,"

"If there's anything I can do," Virgil offered. "Just ask, okay?"

"Don't you worry about me, _Sparky_," Frieda said. "You've got your other job to think about, remember?"

_In case you missed it, since Frieda's a master of subtlety, she knows about the whole superhero thing. It was pretty unavoidable. She's one of my closest friends and she helped me out after I got hurt really bad early in my career. I don't want to go into detail, but it did involve a lot of iodine. Not even Daisy knows about me being Static. I know, I should tell her. I'm practically lying to her if I don't. I'm just waiting for the right moment..._

"Yeah, I do. But you're still my friend," Virgil responded.

"I know you are," Frieda said as she gave him a hug. "I promise I'm okay,"

_Can't really help someone that doesn't want to be helped, right? Frieda knows I'm here for her whenever she wants to tell me what's going on. Who knows, maybe it really is nothing._

_Aside from some minor ketchup spillage in the food court, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. You don't wanna hear about that, right? You want action. The kinda action that involves an illegal gun deal going down in the bad part of a bad town at night? The kinda gun deal that involves metahuman protection? The kinda metahuman protection that dresses in an ugly yellow outfit that makes him look like a-_

"Duck!" She-bang yelled as a green sedan sailed through the air towards her and Static. Static threw himself to the ground while she jumped up, landed on the vehicle then flipped off of it, letting it hit the ground behind her. Static stood back up and got onto his metal disc as the two heroes stared down the criminals before them. Several thugs, armed to the teeth and one metahuman wearing yellow with red gloves and a mask.

_That guy in the yellow with the bullseye on his chest called himself Bulletproof. Can't say much for his clothes, but apparently he really is bulletproof. And strong enough to throw a car. Lucky for me, I've got someone just as strong on my side._

"Static, you get the guys with guns. Bulletproof's all mine," She-bang said, already moving.

"Yessir, boss lady ma'am sir," Static said sarcastically as he took to the air.

_Okay, that was what I was gonna say to do anyway but she doesn't have to be so bossy about it._

The men with guns began firing. She-bang did a complex series of flips to avoid getting hit while Static created an electromagnetic shield that caught every single bullet then simply let them fall to the ground.

"I saw that in a movie once," Static said with a smirk as he descended on the shooters. Meanwhile, She-bang did a flip that launched her right into Bulletproof feet first. He stumbled back and She-bang took advantage with another kick. She tried to hit him with a front kick but a sudden punch knocked her down. The blow was not only unexpected but the hardest time She-bang had been hit in a while. Before she could get up, Bulletproof grabbed her cape, swung her around and threw her into a streetlight that broke in half on impact.

"You're just punk kids," Bulletproof laughed. "When Don Cornelius hired me for this protection gig I thought he was expecting Blood Syndicate or something. Oh well. Long as I get paid..."

Bulletproof advanced on She-bang and she grabbed the broken streetlight. She swung the long metal rod like a baseball bat and it struck Bulletproof in the head. She got in a couple more hits before he grabbed it and tossed it down the street.

"Okay, kid..." Bulletproof said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's have some fun..."

Meanwhile, the criminals guns were magnetized together in a metal ball and all of them were stuck to the nearest wall. Static looked over them and grinned, unaware of She-bang's predicament.

"Bad case of Static Cling? Don't worry, it'll clear up by the time the police arrive," Static mocked them before the sound of a loud thud caught his attention. He turned to see Bulletproof dangling She-bang by the cape as he punched her repeatedly. The impact of the blows was like two trucks crashing into each other. Bulletproof caught his eye and grinned.

"Don't worry, punk. You're gonna get yours," Bulletproof said as he casually dropped She-bang. She crumpled onto the floor as Static glared at the one who had managed to beat her. She-bang tried to say something but Static didn't hear what, or notice that she was looking _behind_ him until he heard a female voice.

"Look out, Static!"

Static looked back just in time to see a female figure land behind him from a leap out of the shadows. She had a large metal shield on her arm that a bullet pinged off of. One of the thugs still had a gun on them and lined up another shot. Reflexively, Static zapped them unconscious, but his eyes were on the person standing before him.

"_Dusk_?" Static gasped. Dusk looked at him apologetically but with a hint of a smile.

"Hold that thought," Dusk said as she ran past Static towards Bulletproof.

"Another one of you? Fine, bring it o-" Bulletproof started to taunt but was cut off by She-bang hitting him in the back of the leg as she stood, making him fall to his knees. Before the metacriminal could get up, Dusk's run became a charge and she leapt, sending her knee into Bulletproof's face.

"You're pretty strong..." She-bang said, as she began to realize who this person was. Dusk saw the look on the other teen hero's face and interrupted her train of thought.

"Yeah, you two. How about we show this guy just how tough we really are?"

She-bang nodded just before Bulletproof barreled at them in rage. She-bang swung her right fist as Dusk swung her left. Both connected at the same time and Bulletproof went flying. He sailed past a still stunned Static into the wall where the other criminals were still stuck. Bulletproof ended up embedded in the wall and groaned into the imprint his face made.

"Yes! Nice punch," Dusk said, expecting a similar response from She-bang but all she got was a look that was hard to read. Dusk then looked at Static who was still staring at her like he'd seen a ghost.

"Hey, Static, I'm...I'm sorry," Dusk started as she walked towards him. "I know what I did and you deserve an explanation but...c'mon, you have to say _something_,"

Dusk stood before Static, waiting for a reply, anything to let her know just how much he had to hate her ride now. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug as tears flowed from his eyes. Dusk did the same, taking care not to squeeze too tight.

_Dusk...She's...She's alive. After the fire, after all this time. How? I know I should ask but, right now the how doesn't matter. Right now I don't even know what to think..._

In another part of the city, Frieda was in her room, on her knees dry heaving. She felt impossibly sick, like some sudden disease had come over her. Frieda dragged herself to her feet and stared at herself in the mirror.

"What...what the hell is happening..." Frieda muttered as she stared.

Suddenly she was hit with an overwhelming dizziness, then numbness. She still looked in the mirror and saw herself, but somehow it felt different. Like the person in the reflection wasn't _her_. She tried to move but her body wouldn't respond until it moved on its' own. She let out a scream but it only echoed inside her own mind. When her lips did move, it wasn't her own words.

"Shut up and stay in there. I'm going to find me some fun..."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Static Shock Issue 4: Throwback**

**By Calvin Burrell **

* * *

><p>Late at night, four teens had gathered together in an abandoned gas station in Dakota. Shenice Vale, also known as She-bang, sat on the edge of an old couch, rubbing her side where she got hit by a super strong gangster. She was resilient enough to take it, but it still hurt like hell. Richie Foley, also known as Gear, sat in an office chair, tightly gripping the armrests. His expression was the irate opposite of the hilarious video he had paused in the middle of watching when the others arrived. Virgil Hawkins, also known as Static, paced back and forth. His favourite blue jacket was currently draped over the opposite edge of the couch from where She-bang sat. Beside that jacket was the one known only as Dusk, idly running her hand along the sleeve as she watched Virgil pacing.<p>

_Okay, I gotta stop pacing before I drive myself crazy._

_Crazier._

Virgil paused and stood still, looking at Dusk. He looked like he was trying to form a sentence, but Dusk beat him to it.

"You want to know what happened, right? Why I had to leave like that?...I like your new outfit, by the way," Dusk spoke, adding the last comment in hopes that it would get a smile.

"I think we'd all like to know," Richie added, ignoring the mention of Virgil's costume.

"Uhh, question," said Shenice, half raising her hand. "Who is this? I mean...I know who she _is_, I've seen your files. Really disorganized, by the way. But you don't have much on her other than a name. Dusk, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Dusk said before looking at Richie. "You've got files on me?"

"I've got files on _everything_," Richie answered. "Well...I did,"

"How?" Virgil said, breaking his silence. "How are you...I saw you die,"

"Did you?" Dusk asked. From her tone, he could tell it was an honest question and he thought back to that night.

_It was about two years ago. I still don't know who started the fire. Hotstreak was locked up and Holocaust or Pyre or whatever he calls himself was busy with his own thing. And after how it went down, I didn't care who started it._

_Dusk and I were on the scene, along with the Dakota Fire Department. I had a different outfit back then. A dark blue costume with a lightning bolt across it, along with a way oversized yellow coat and a Malcolm X cap. Nothing flashy but it was homemade and I'm pretty sure most other superheroes just shop at the same costume place._

_Anyway, Dusk and I were working on getting people out..._

Static flew out of the burning building through a broken window with a child in his arms. Flames spat out of the window behind him but he evaded them and hovered towards the ground. Once lowered, he put the kid in the arms of her mother, who Dusk has rescued a moment earlier.

"I think that's everyone," Static said.

"Sure hope so. Give me a lift, will ya?" Dusk replied. She hopped onto his disc and they both flew back up, floating around the building to try and spot anyone inside.

"This place is about to come down," Static pointed out.

"And we can't see a thing from here," Dusk added. "I'm going back in,"

"What!? There's not enough time!"

"Don't worry, boy thunder," Dusk said with a laugh as she leapt from the disc. "I got this!"

Dusk's jump easily carried her across too the building. She rolled and crashed back in through a window. Static looked on, stunned for a second before trying to follow. Right as he got close, a portion of the wall collapsed inwards, blocking the window. He called out Dusk's name as he shielded himself from the debris. He looked for a way to move it without collapsing the entire structure but it was impossible with the building so close to falling. He hovered there, watching even as the fire crews put out the flame. A whole hour had passed after the last flames went out before he managed to pull himself away.

_At least, that's how I remember it._

"Well...?" Dusk said, snapping Virgil out of his memories. "You didn't answer me,"

"I guess I didn't actually _see_ you...Y'know," Virgil couldn't finish the sentence. "But I remember you going into the burning building and the wall collapsing,"

"Yeah...Not my brightest moment," Dusk replied as she started to explain what really happened. "That wall fell on me, but don't forget, I'm tough. Maybe not as tough as Donner or your friend here, but I can take a hit. Or a wall..."

Dusk's story continued. The wall fell on her and the debris was heated by the flames. For a moment it looked like she'd either be crushed or burned alive. Then her fist burst out of the wreckage. She dug herself out, ignoring the pain all over her body. It would heal fast anyway. As she stood, she caught a glimpse of movement in front of her. When her vision got less blurry she saw a man there, with dark hair and some sort of opaque, yellow film covering his entire body, leaving only his head exposed.

"Oh, aren't you something...?" The man said with a sinister grin and an odd voice. Like something else was manipulating his mouth. Before Dusk could reply, the film tore itself off the man, giving off strange energy as it did. It wrapped itself around her body. Dusk could feel it enveloping her and trying to pierce her tough skin. She felt sudden dizziness then everything seemed to go numb. When she moved, it wasn't her causing it. She ran through the building, exiting through a wall on the opposite side where Static couldn't see. There was a strange voice in her head and all Dusk wanted to do was scream.

Dusk finished her story to incredulous looks from the others.

"So what the hell was that thing?" Shenice asked.

"Never could get a name out of her, but I knew she was a Bang Baby," Dusk answered. "Someone who got hit by that gas the same night as you, Static. She can absorb energy from other people's bodies or take them over entirely when the one she's riding in burns out. I wasn't her first victim, but I lasted the longest. For six whole months she made me hurt people...or worse. Eventually, it was too much for my body to handle and she moved on, expecting me to die. For real this time. But I recovered after a few weeks and tried to track her down. Not easy when she could be anybody,"

"Why not come to us for help?" Virgil asked with a frown. "You should've said something so I'd know...so I could help you,"

"After what I did to all those people..." Dusk looked down and shook her head. "I didn't think you'd want to see me again. Especially since you thought I was already gone,"

"But it wasn't you," Virgil said with a hurt look on his face. "It wouldn't have mattered. I would've understood. I _do_ understand,"

"I know I was being stupid," Dusk confessed, holding back tears. "But the weeks turned into months and I guess I just thought you'd be better off without me,"

"We're friends. Nothing is gonna change that," Virgil said as he sat beside Dusk, putting an arm around her. "Nothing at all,"

"Yeah...Guess I'm not used to having a friend like you..." Dusk replied, wiping her eyes.

"So..." Richie said awkwardly after a silent moment had passed. "What about that person who was controlling you? What else do you know about her?"

"She never gave me her name so I've been calling her Snare, among other things. She's been body-jumping again recently. I managed to follow her trail back to Dakota but I lost her after she transferred to someone else. Some redhead girl," Dusk answered while running a hand through her hair.

"Redhead..." Virgil said slowly as he started to realize something. "When 'Snare' takes over someone's body. It'd leave them drained, right? Sorta tired all the time?"

"Yeah," Dusk said with a nod. "That's what happens to her victims."

"Damn...I think I know whose body she's in," Virgil said, standing up suddenly. "We have to get her outbefore it's too late!"

Meanwhile as midnight rolled in, Snare, using Frieda's body, clutched a woman by the throat. Tendrils of energy drained out of the woman into the yellow film that now tightly covered Frieda's body. After a minute, that woman was dropped on the ground in a comatose state. In her head, Frieda let out a cry of fright that went ignored by the metahuman controlling her.

"More," Snare said through Frieda's lips. "_More_,"

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Static Shock Issue 5: Hijacked**

**By Calvin Burrell**

* * *

><p><em>Can't panic right now, I've gotta stay focused. My old partner just came back from the dead and it looks like the body snatching villain she was kidnapped by just took over my best friend. If we can find her, maybe we can save her. We <strong>have<strong> to._

"Any sign of her yet?" Static asked into his headset. Cold wind rushed by him as he flew on his disc. Dusk stood just behind him, holding on tightly to his body.

"Nothing yet, bro," Gear replied into his helmet. His rocket-propelled roller blades had him soaring over rooftops as She-bang ran and leapt across them. "Backpack's triangulating the location of Frieda's cell phone. Hopefully, she's got it on her. Are you at her house yet?"

"Just got here," Static answered as he arrived and circled around. He and Dusk floated by the window to Frieda's room and saw it was empty. "Damn! She's not here!"

"We're getting close, just stay cool, alright?" Gear replied to his friend, who he knew would be worrying about Frieda's safety. Gear looked down, expecting to see She-Bang keeping up with him. Instead, she was still a few rooftops back. He landed on a roof to let her catch up.

"Why're we stopping?" She-bang asked, after leaping the gap across from the next roof over and sounding uncharacteristically out of breath. "Did they find Virgil's friend?"

"No, but...you okay?" Gear asked.

"Yeah. Let's get moving. We gotta find this girl, don't we?" She-bang replied sharply.

"Do you want me to..." Gear made a vague gesture with his arms, implying his intention. She-bang rolled her eyes and reluctantly allowed Gear to carry her.

"When did you get so heavy..." Gear muttered under his breath, but She-bang heard him anyway.

"Watch it, gadget boy. Just cause you're carrying me, doesn't mean I can't...wait, look down there!" She-bang held off on her threat when she saw their target below. Snare had a man pinned against a wall as she drained energy from him, using Frieda's body as a vehicle. She-bang pushed out of Gear's arms and let herself fall towards the ground. She flipped, and landed on her feet, leaving cracks in the street. Gear touched down just behind her, looking surprised at the amount of force she landed with. Snare turned to see the heroes that had just landed and grinned.

"Now what do we have here...?" she snarled through Frieda's mouth.

"Static, we found her," Gear said into his helmet as She-bang raised her fists. "You better get here quick,"

"Oh yeah, call your friends. Let's have a _party_," Snare said, raising Frieda's arms. Blasts of energy shot out, striking Gear and forcing him to the ground.

"She can do that!?" She-bang said, not at all expecting the sudden attack.

"She can do that..." Gear confirmed sorely.

Frieda's face was pulled into a menacing grin as she clenched her fists...

_Takes too long to get around this way, even at my top speed. If I go any faster, Dusk is gonna squeeze me like toothpaste guessing by how tight she's holding already. But this is Frieda we're talking about. I'm not about to let some meta human nutcase hijack her._

When Static arrived, Gear was dazed and lying on the hood of a car while Snare had She-bang by the throat, draining energy out of her.

"You!" Dusk yelled. She leapt from the disc as Static landed, charging right at Frieda.

"Wait!" Static yelled, but Dusk was on his friend already, pelting the yellow film around her body with blows. The meta human that had taken over Frieda's body also greatly increased her strength and she easily smacked Dusk aside.

"If it isn't my favourite ride. Thought I killed you..." Snare said, putting a curious expression on Frieda's face. "Guess I'll have to suck you dry again,"

Snare took a step but then found a wall of electrical energy blocking her. She turned to see Static attempting to block her in.

"You must be Static. Gotta do better than that Sparky," Snare said as she blasted back. The energy knocked the teen hero off his disc.

"Didn't know you could do that..." Static muttered as he tried to stand.

"There's plenty I can do. Let me show you," Snare said as she hit him with a stronger blast. She then leapt at him, pinned him to the ground.

"Get back!" Static yelled as his body let off a charge. The force sent Snare tumbling back as she let out a cry of pain in Frieda's voice.

_Dammit. Gotta remember Frieda's still in there. Every time I hurt Snare, she feels it too._

Dusk, however didn't seem to want to hold back. She returned, tackling Snare to the ground. The two traded blows as they rolled before Dusk was able to shove Snare away as she stood. Snare started letting loose energy blasts that Dusk blocked with her shield. Pieces of it started to chip off as Snare let off a continuous stream of energy. Frieda tried to call for help from within, but could only watch as the shield broke apart. Then she felt pain from the side as Static's metal disc struck her. It hurts, but she knew it hurt the one controlling her more. She cheered on her friend, much to the annoyance of Snare.

"I want you off of my friend," Static said as the disc returned to him. "Got a nice jail cell for you to occupy instead,"

"No. She's _mine_ now! I'm going to use the life of your pathetic little friend and if I decide to be nice, you can have what's _left_!" Snare growled as she shot energy at Static. He put up an electrical shield that absorbed the blast. Meanwhile, Frieda was trying to break out, causing Snare to lose focus. Cracks began to appear over Frieda's body.

"This is our chance!" Dusk yelled. "Pour it on!"

Static then let off lightning from his hands. His attack made contact with Snare's and the two energies sparked fiercely. The meeting point of the two forces pushed slowly towards Snare. She let out an angry yell as it hit her. Static kept releasing more energy as Dusk ran forward. There was a bright flash of light and a thunderous boom as she leapt. When Static's vision returned, he saw Dusk and Frieda on the ground a distance away and Snare standing on her own, now a figure made entirely of the yellow film that had covered Frieda's body.

"Had enough yet?" Static said with a grin.

"Don't be stupid, kid. You didn't force me out, I let her go," Snare replied as she charged at Static. "Now I want _you_ instead. I want your power,"

"Whatever makes you feel better, lady," Static said as Snare grabbed him. "But if you want it so bad, take it!"

Static's eyes glowed as electrical energy arced from him to Snare. At first she smiled evilly, absorbing the energy, but the output was quickly too much.

"No! Stop!" Snare protested as she tried to let go.

"But I've got so much to give!" Static spat back as he put his hands on her, forcing the energy right into her body. "This is for what you did to my friends, and everyone else!"

Snare screamed as the power overloaded her. All the energy she had stolen exploded out of her body, shooting a bright, multicoloured spire of light into the sky. She fell to the ground, now looking like a normal human as smoke drifted from around her body.

_What a night. I think I need to take a nap for the next few years. Still, we stopped the villain, saved Frieda and Dusk is back. Couldn't ask for a better ending. The police have Snare locked up tight and she won't be going anywhere for a long time. She-bang was pretty pissed about getting beat twice in one night, but we all have our bad days. Guess there's only one thing left to do..._

Static, Gear, Dusk and She-Bang were back in the abandoned gas station. Gear and She-bang were clearly tired and wanted to go home, but Static had told them he had something important to say.

"So what is it?" She-bang asked, fiddling with her gloves.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Gear asked curiously.

"Well...it's about Dusk, actually," Static said, causing her to look his way. "This might be sudden, with you just getting back and all but, I was hoping you stick around for a while. Maybe join our team?"

"You really want me to...?" Dusk asked with a hint of a smile. "Well, it's been a while but I miss our little superhero team-ups."

"Is that a yes?" Static asked hopefully.

"It's a hell yes," Dusk said grinningly. The two old friends hugged as Gear and She-bang looked on.

"All's well that ends well, I guess..." Gear said. Part of him still wanted to be angry at Dusk for how she left Virgil, but seeing how easily his friend forgave made him change his mind.

"Yeah...Hey, I''ll see you guys later, alright?" She-bang said as she walked out. She walked faster than usual, but no one seemed to notice. Once a certain distance away, she removed one of her gloves, looking at her hand. The skin was tinged grey and looked denser than it should be, even for her. She opened and closed her fist, looking at her hand with a worried expression.


	6. Chapter 6

**Static Shock Issue 6: Identities**

**_By Calvin Burrell _**

* * *

><p><em>So this morning, I had to get up bright and early, get cleaned up and get out the house. Ordinarily this would be a bad thing, but not today. Today I get to meet my idol, Augustus Freeman the fourth. Most people my age don't really look up to major corporate lawyers but I've got a lot of respect for the guy. He's always ready to step in and help the people. He paid for most of the community centre my pops runs and he's gonna be there for the tenth anniversary of its' opening. Dad named the place after Augustus Freeman the first, an escaped slave who dedicated his life to freeing others. I grew up hearing all sorts of stories about him and everything he did. Some of the stories made him sound like a 19th century superhero. The present day Mr. Freeman might not be a superhero, but rumour is he's acquaintances with Icon, which is close enough.<em>

_He paid for most of the community centre my pops runs and he's gonna be there for the tenth anniversary of its' opening. Dad named the place after Augustus Freeman the first, an escaped slave who dedicated his life to freeing others. I grew up hearing all sorts of stories about him and everything he did. Some of the stories made him sound like a 19th century superhero. The present day Mr. Freeman might not be a superhero, but rumour is he's acquaintances with Icon, which is close enough._

"Virgil!" Sharon yelled from downstairs to her little brother, still checking himself out in the mirror. "Get your butt in gear or we're gonna be late!"

Virgil rolled his eyes as he adjusted his tie for the final time. He kept the shirt he wore as Static underneath his suit, just in case. It was an extra layer, but in the cold winter weather that was exactly what he needed. He strapped on an old watch his mother had given him before she died. He took a moment to look at the watch then grabbed a backpack as he headed downstairs, before his big sister could yell at him again.

"_Finally_!" Sharon said with her hands on her hips. "What took you so long? What's with the backpack?"

_Hmm, should I tell her it has the rest of a certain high volt hero's outfit? Nah, better lie._

"I might go to the library after. To...study. And y'know, for someone who usually takes over an hour to get ready for _anything_ you shouldn't be throwing stones," Virgil said snarkily.

"Whatever, little bro. I still can't believe I have to drive you. You'd better not make a mess in my car," Sharon looked annoyed at the idea. Their father had gotten a ride to the community centre with Augustus Freeman IV himself. It was a quick, last second change in the plan and neither Sharon nor Virgil were lucky enough to be able to tag along, which left the responsibility of getting there in Sharon's lap.

"Like you and Adam don't make a mess in there already..." Virgil grumbled but quickly changed his tune after the look Sharon gave him. "What I mean to say is, I'll be the cleanest darn passenger you've ever seen!"

Sharon snorted and grabbed the keys for the car. Virgil followed behind her, making sure the door was locked.

_Sure beats walking..._

The two siblings sat in the yellow sedan as Sharon drove through the Dakota streets. She was singing along with a song on the radio, much to Virgil's chagrin. He slowly reached out to change the station but she swatted his hand away.

"You know the rules. I drive, I get to pick the radio station," Sharon said.

"Yeah but what rule says you have to add backup vocals?" Virgil said sourly.

"S'not my fault you don't have your license yet. You could at least try to do the driving test,"

"Yeah, yeahhh," Virgil replied. He didn't see a need to learn how to drive since he could just fly wherever he wanted, but Sharon didn't know that.

"If you're scared, I could give you some tips. Number one, no crashing..." Sharon began with a smirk.

"I'm not scared. I'm just...busy," Virgil interrupted her with a half truth.

"Mhmm..." Sharon moved on from the topic as soon as a new song started. Soon the two had arrived at the Freeman Community Centre. A few people had arrived already, including a news reporter and her cameraman.

"Big crowd this year," Sharon pointed out as they exited the car.

"Sure is. Let's go find Pops," Virgil said as he slung the backpack over his left shoulder. The two went inside the building and found their father in his office, along with the tall figure of Augustus Freeman IV and a young woman about Sharon's age.

_That's Raquel Ervin, she works for Mr. Freeman. I think she's his assistant or something. She and my sister get along well, but she doesn't seem to like me very much...It could be all those times I tried to flirt with her. It was ages ago, before I started seeing Daisy, but... That's probably it._

"Hey kids," Robert said, cheerfully addressing his children.

"Hi daddy!" Sharon walked over and hugged her father.

"Glad to see you both again," Augustus said in his deep voice. He shook Sharon's hand then Virgil's. The young man had a grin on his face.

_He's so much taller in person..._

"You're right on time, we were about to start," Robert said. "We were just waiting on-"

"Mr. Hawkins?" a quiet voice and a knocking sound interrupted him. A young girl with pale skin and light, almost white hair stood in the office doorway. "Everything's ready for you and Mr. Freeman outside,"

"Thanks, Maureen. And just call me Robert," Robert said to the girl.

"Right...Okay," the young nodded shyly, apparently intimidated by all the eyes on her.

_I'd heard Maureen Connor was helping out around here. Pops needed an extra hand and since I'm so busy with school and superhero stuff, I couldn't make it. When I first met her, she was homeless and staying in an old cable car company repair depot. I helped her out as Static when she almost created another ice age. She looks like she's been much better off since then. And if the chill in the air is any indication, she's still got her cryogenic powers. Hopefully she has them under control now._

Virgil gave Maureen a smile and she returned it before blushing and looking down. She stepped out of the way as the others exited the office and then followed silently with her hands buried in her pockets. Outside, a podium was set up before rows of seats. Virgil spotted Richie up in the front row and grinned. Maureen slipped away to avoid the crowd as Virgil sat beside his friend.

"Hey man," Virgil said. The two of them shared a quick fist bump.

"What's up, bro?" Richie replied. "Lotta people here today,"

"Yeah, I noticed. Speaking of, where's the gang?"

"Hmm...well, I saw Frieda and Daisy around here somewhere. Adam said he was gonna be late and Dusk said she had something to do, whatever that means. I didn't hear from Shenice. Haven't seen her in class much lately either..."

"I thought that was weird," Virgil nodded, thinking about his friend's absences. "The queen of overachieving ruining her perfect attendance record? We should go to her place and see what's up after this,"

"Sounds like a good idea. I'm worried about her..."

"You and me both," Virgil added. The two continued to talk as Sharon and Raquel sat down beside them. Augustus stood at the platform with Robert behind him and cleared his throat as he began to speak.

"Good morning, citizens of Dakota," Augustus said over a microphone. "It warms my heart to see all of you here to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Freeman Community Centre. As we reflect on history this month, I think back to the lessons my great-grandfather passed on. Lessons about helping your fellow man and standing up for what's right against a corrupt and oppressive system. This community centre not only represents togetherness, but also a-"

He suddenly stopped and looked up at something in the sky. The people turned to look and saw a flaming object plummeting to the ground. Some people cried out in fright when they realized it was going to land close to them. With a mighty crash it slammed into the parking lot and crashed through several cars before coming to a stop. A dark, black liquid seeped out of a crack in the object and some curious people approached it as the dust cleared.

"No!" Augustus' eyes suddenly lit up with worry. "Don't go near that!"

His words went unnoticed as two tendrils reached out from the pool, forming solid spikes that pierced the two closest people. As they fell to the ground, the liquid coalesced into the form of a large humanoid figure. White eyes formed on its head as the lower half of its face contorted into a terrifying grin.

"Arnus!" the creature yelled as Augustus in a gurgling voice. It charged forward, barrelling through the crowd. It leapt at Augustus and grabbed him, wrapping the man in its form. The two were vaulted back by the tackle and crashed through the community centre's wall before the eyes of the stunned crowd. There was panic and screaming, including Sharon who was looking around for her now missing little brother.

"Virgil! Where are you!?" She yelled.

"He said he was gonna see if Daisy and Frieda were okay," Richie lied quickly, covering for his friend.

"Raquel's gone too!"

"Huh..." Richie hadn't even noticed the other girl missing, but all he could do was shrug.

_Good thing I've practically grown up in here._

Virgil was inside the building, having snuck in. His knowledge of the layout helped him get in without anyone seeing. He opened his backpack, pulling out his blue jacket as he quickly got changed. He was about to put his mask on when he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh...no way!" the voice said. Virgil turned to see Maureen standing there with a shocked expression at catching him maskless. "You're...you're..."

"How long have you been standing there?" Virgil asked, hoping she didn't see him getting dressed.

"I just got here...I stayed inside while Mr. Freeman was giving his speech and then I felt the ground shake so I was coming outside...What happened? I saw some _thing_ and now you..."

"Look, Maureen, I'll explain later, okay?" Virgil quickly said as he put the mask on. He could hear loud crashing from around the building as the thing that attacked Augustus was moving around. "Whatever that thing is, I've gotta take care of it. Do you think you can cover up the hole it made in the wall? Ice it over so no one can get in?"

"I...I think so," Maureen nodded nervously.

"Good," Virgil gave her a quick pat on the shoulder as he got on his disc. "I believe in you!"

After his quick words of encouragement, Static flew off down a hall. Maureen stood there, feeling where he touched her and looking strangely giddy.

_Now where are these guys? Sounds like that ooze is causing some serious damage. It's clearly not afraid to kill and I don't know how much Mr. Freeman can take..._

There was a sudden boom that got the young metahuman's attention.

_Sounds like a good place to start looking..._

Static burst into the indoor basketball court to see Augustus in the middle of a crater and the figure standing over him.

"Kali'kak! How are you here...?" Augustus said through a pained groan.

"Surprised to me?" the figure, Kali'kak said. "I'm sure you thought you saw the last of me when you sentenced me to isolation on that prison planet. I would have attempted escape sooner had I known you were here among such a primitive species. I will bring them the gift of death at my hands, one by one. And they will come to know me as Oblivion!"

"Hm. I see that other than your new name, you have not changed. Then I will not feel bad about doing this!" Augustus raised his hand and a light blue blast of energy shot out, engulfing Oblivion and sending him flying against a wall. Then a red costume and large, flowing, green cape began to form over Augustus' torn clothes.

_Did he just...He...But then that means... Augustus Freeman IV is...Icon!_

_...I think I know how Maureen feels._

Static flew over to Icon, who seemed to only now notice the young man was there.

"Need a hand?" Static crouched and offered a hand to help Icon up, which the older man gratefully accepted.

"How are you at keeping secrets" Icon asked.

"Pretty good," Static replied with a smirk. Neither of them saw a spiked tendril headed their way from where Oblivion landed until a purple shield appeared around them.

"You two might wanna keep your eyes open!" said a young woman in a brown jacket who had just arrived and had her hands outstretched.

"Your advice is noted, Rocket." Icon said as she landed beside him. All three turned to face Oblivion as he finished repairing himself.

"All of you then!" Oblivion shouted with more laughter. "Oblivion comes for you all!"

Icon and Static moved at the same time when Rocket dropped the shield. Oblivion was struck by electricity and positron energy blasts at the same time. He roared as pieces of his form were blown off. The murderous villain then attempted to weave around the blast but was stopped by a kinetic energy shield from Rocket. The shield wrapped around him and flew up, slamming Oblivion into the roof then back down into the ground. It faded, leaving him apparently stunned.

"Good job," Icon said. "Static, Oblivion is made of a ferrofluid. You should be able to-"

The man was interrupted for the second time that day. This time, by a thin tendril that stabbed through him. It had come from a small trickle of black liquid that reached under the heroes and back to Oblivion who grinned wider.

"This human form of yours is _weak_, Arnus! I will enjoy destroying it!" Oblivion laughed.

"No!" Static and Rocket shouted at the same time. Purple energy shot from Rocket's hands, joining Static's lightning in pushing back Oblivion.

"You cannot step me, children!" Oblivion yelled as he tried to push forward. The blast forced him back further near a vent and his liquid form spilled inside it to escape.

Rocket quickly went to Icon collapsed body to check on him. Static stood close by, worried for Icon and for when Oblivion's next attack would come.

"Is he..." Static began.

"He'll be okay, he just need a few minutes to heal," Rocket answered, frustration on her face. "He said something about a 'ferrofluid'...I don't know what that is. Some kind of alien goo?"

"Not alien. As far as I know," Static shook his head.

_People think Gear is the smart one out of our team, and he is. But I was a straight A top student long before I was Static._

"Ferrofluids are fluids that..." Static trailed off, trying to remember. Then he suddenly snapped his fingers, making a small spark. "Fluids that are affected by magnetic fields! That's it!"

Before Static could voice his plan, Oblivion burst out of the ground behind the two heroes. He formed a massive fist that would've slammed down on them had they not moved quickly. Multiple tendrils split off his growing form, forming hammers and blades that swung at Static and Rocket. Static took to the air on his disc, while a field of purple energy wrapped around Rocket, allowing her to fly. The two dodged and weaved but it couldn't last forever.

"We need a plan!" Rocket yelled.

"Keep him contained for a sec!" Static yelled back. "I got an idea!"

Rocket nodded and made a large shield around Oblivion. There was strain on her face as he pounded on it. Meanwhile, Static looked around as if searching for something, then his eyes came to the watch on his wrist.

_Sorry, Mom. I need something metal and I don't have time to find anything else._

Static took the watch off and held it between his hands. Burst of electricity came out from the space between his closed palms as he charged up the watch with massive amounts of electromagnetic energy.

"Anytime now!" Rocket said as the shield started to fade.

"Now!" Static said is response. Rocket dropped the shield and Oblivion charged forward. Static threw the watch right into the centre of Oblivion's body. The magnetic charge in the watch pulled Oblivion's body towards it and he screamed in defiance.

"Nooo!" Oblivion yelled as he felt his body being pulled together into a ball of fluid. He reached out with one last desperate swipe, but his hand was pulled into the sphere. The ball was then motionless, except for a few ripples on the surface.

"How did you do that?" Rocket asked, with a grin.

"Well, you know...science," Static answered.

_I'll brag about this later. After I make sure Icon's okay._

The two of them hovered down to Icon's side as he was getting up. Rocket went to help, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine," Icon said, looking at his torn clothes. "No permanent damage was done,"

"Except to your suit," Rocket said. "And more importantly, the community centre,"

Virgil looked around, seeing the remnants of the battle.

_And that's just in here. The whole place must be a disaster._

"This place is more than just a building, Rocket. It will endure. In the meantime, we need to inform Chief Barnsdale of what happened here, and find some way to safely contain Oblivion until The Cooperative can move him off planet,"

"Uhh, the whatnow?" Static asked confusedly.

"It's a space thing," Rocket answered quickly.

"Right...Space thing," Static said, pretending to understand.

_A space thing, she says. Whatever that means. Like I need more mysteries in my life...Speaking off, Sharon and Pops don't know where I am. I'd like to stay with Icon but I better get back to them. Before they worry and I get a lecture._

"Well, it's been real but, I gotta go," Static said as his disc floated under him. "But, maybe we'll run into each other again some time?"

"I'm sure we will," Icon said reassuringly. Static grinned and flew off. Meanwhile, Rocket was giving Icon a look.

"I know he's good, but you already have a partner," Rocket said.

"I'm aware of that, Raquel..." Icon replied.

"Better be," Rocket said with a smirk.

Outside, Virgil was back in his civilian clothes, standing before his father and Sharon. His dad looked relieved while Sharon was clearly agitated.

"You had us worried sick, Virgil!" Sharon yelled.

"I'm sorry! I got lost in the crowd with all the confusion," Virgil replied apologetically.

"I'm just glad you're okay, son," Robert said as he put a firm hand on his son's shoulder.

"What about you guys?" Virgil asked.

"We're fine. Some kind of ice barrier appeared after that thing went inside with Augustus. It didn't come down until the police arrived. No word on Augustus yet..." Robert said, summing up the incident from the outside.

"I'm sure he's okay," Virgil said confidently.

Meanwhile, Maureen was watching them all through a window from inside the building. The police had overlooked her as they came in. That was fine, she was used to not being noticed. It didn't even matter now as her focus was on something else. Some_one_ else. She blew on the window, creating frost on it. She used her finger to draw a heart around her view of Virgil. She sighed dreamily and rested her head on the frosted window.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


End file.
